Day One
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
*ORDER YOUR COPY OFTHE DEATH OF US, ABIGAIL DEAN'S STUNNING NEW NOVEL NOW!*
*The breathtaking new novel from the bestselling author of Girl A*
A Times thriller of the year
‘I couldn’t put this down’ Stacey Halls
What really happened on Day One?
Everyone has their own version of what happened to the school that day:
The survivor, who escaped but is now trapped in a lie.
The newspapers, hellbent on turning a tragedy into a spectacle.
And the outsider, who claims it never really happened at all…
They all want the truth.
But who’s ready to face it?
As events spiral out of control and conspiracies ignite, the true story is revealed. Piece by shocking piece.
*Praise for DAY ONE*
‘A devastating, beautiful novel’ Jennifer Saint
‘Gripping and beautifully written’ Emilia Hart
‘A chilling, thought-provoking read’ Shari Lapena
‘A beautiful writer’ Adele Parks
‘An exceptionally skillful book’ Clare Mackintosh
*What readers are saying about DAY ONE*
‘Abigail Dean has pulled off an incredible feat with this unforgettable, searing but compassionate novel’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A gripping read which kept me trying to figure out the larger picture until the very last page’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It's technically so impressive, but most importantly it's vital and human, and I will think about it for a long time’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Gripping and insightful’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘As a study of how conspiracies flourish and grow, it is superb. As an examination of loss, it is even better’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Oh my word this is a book you race through, desperate to know what happens next’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It’s timely, it’s moving, it looks at the untruths we tell ourselves and others in an attempt to understand the real horrors of the world – it’s just brilliant’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A twisty story with genuine depth’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This was an exceptionally well written book, both gripping and evocative’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Gut-wrenching truths are exposed little by little, leading to an agonisingly tender ending’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This novel moved me to tears and broke my heart’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
About the author
Abigail Dean was born in Manchester, and grew up in the Peak District. She graduated from Cambridge with a Double First in English. Formerly a Waterstones bookseller, she spent five years as a lawyer in London, and took summer 2018 off to work on her debut novel, Girl A, ahead of her thirtieth birthday.
Girl A was published in hardback in January 2021 and became an instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, also topping the charts in Ireland and Australia. It reached #1 in the UK Kindle charts. The paperback spent eight weeks in the Sunday Times top ten. The novel has been acquired in 36 territories, and television/film rights have sold to Sony. Johan Renck, director of Chernobyl, is attached to work on the television adaptation of Girl A.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Day One, Abigail Dean crafts a gripping narrative exploring the aftermath of a school shooting in a small community. Set in the hauntingly beautiful Lake District in northwest England, the story is told through the interwoven perspectives of Marty, whose life is irrevocably changed by the tragedy, and Trent, an amateur journalist drawn into the conspiracy theories around it. There's a pervading sense of loss and mourning throughout the book, with Marty and Trent both navigating their young adult years as orphans and building resilience in their own unique ways. Balancing action and introspection, Dean writes with a melodic rhythm that carries you through the more unsettling moments. It's a perfect blend of emotional depth and mystery that will satisfy fans of Dean's hit debut novel Girl A and convert many more.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dean (Girl A) depicts the fallout from a school shooting in this extraordinary literary thriller. During a primary school play in the coastal English enclave of Stonesmere, a gunman opens fire, killing more than a dozen people, many of them children. The resulting media storm opens up the door for Sandy Hook–style conspiracy theories to take root. Examining the aftereffects of the tragedy on Stonesmere's tight-knit community, Dean zeroes in on two characters: Marty Ward and Trent Casey. Marty is the town's star soccer player and the daughter of Ava Ward, a teacher who was killed in the massacre; Trent is a lonely young man who briefly lived in Stonesmere before leaving to move in with his mother's new husband, and who now falls under the sway of a right-wing media charlatan peddling theories that the tragedy was a politically motivated hoax. What emerges is a complex, gutting portrait of communal grief and crushing isolation, which builds to a moving and unexpected climax. Though Dean's stark prose steers clear of sensationalism, some readers may find the unflinching subject matter hard to stomach. Those willing to take the plunge, however, will be rewarded with an unforgettable triumph.
